click for jazz waltz

Howard K · #1 01-31-2006, 03:14 AM

Just a quick one, any tips on how to set the nome to practice jazz waltz? I'm currently setting on each crochet and it feels too strongly like a waltz - if you know what I mean? I'vebeen setting it just on beat one which seems to work better, but I wondered if anyone else does this differently?

Actually, any advice on playing jazz waltz would be much appreciated! Rhythmically, I find it difficult to make them feel good

thanks
H

Mike Goodbar · #2 01-31-2006, 07:15 AM

You might want to try feeling the 3/4 against 6/8. I find that helps it swing a little harder. Hard to explain, but your metronome will be clicking twice per each bar of 3/4, once on "one" and once on the "and of two."

Make sense?

Sam Sherry · #3 01-31-2006, 07:22 AM

Or you could try just having one click per bar, on beat "2": 1 2 3 1 2 3. That will cure you of Strauss.

BassChuck · #4 01-31-2006, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Goodbar

You might want to try feeling the 3/4 against 6/8. I find that helps it swing a little harder. Hard to explain, but your metronome will be clicking twice per each bar of 3/4, once on "one" and once on the "and of two."

Make sense?

+1 (more fun that anyone deserves to have with a metronome!)

Bruce Lindfield · #5 01-31-2006, 07:38 AM

Like Afro Blue....

Howard K · #6 01-31-2006, 08:13 AM

I'll try on beat 2 and the 3 over 2 option this evening, excellent stuff, thanks

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #7 01-31-2006, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Sherry

Or you could try just having one click per bar, on beat "2": 1 2 3 1 2 3. That will cure you of Strauss.

+1. This and using the swung "& of 1" are great ways to get out of the ballet box.

hdiddy · #8 01-31-2006, 11:15 AM

Related to the "& 1" feel and simple walking in 3.... do you guys find that you have to be very much on top or slightly ahead of the beat?

The reason I ask is that when I started learning to play in 3, to my ears while playing I sounded OK. But when I recorded me playing it and listened to the recording after the fact, it seemed like I was always dragging and slightly behind. It feels like I have to intentionally be on top or slightly ahead to keep it driving otherwise it starts to feel really odd and "heavy". Does anybody find this to be true?

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #9 01-31-2006, 11:34 AM

Actually, I have to really lay back to make the "& of 1" thing work...if I start playing on top, it always reverts to "2" (which is the way I usually practice waltzes).

hdiddy · #10 02-01-2006, 02:24 AM

Hrmm... interesting. Well I have a sinking feeling that I've been playing everything (not just waltzes) slightly behind.

Time to break out the tape recorder!

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #11 02-01-2006, 06:43 AM

To be fair, the "& of 1" thing is damned hard, and not what I would consider to be a normal way of practicing in 3/4; it's more of a "change of perspective" kind of exercise. What I do more regularly (in addition to the click on "2") is to practice waltzes in a kind of "Bill Evans hemiola feel". For this, set the metronome on 1 and the "& of 2". From there, it's easy to practice the metric modulation to the slower two feel (one click per beat) and the faster 4/4 (clicks become 1 and 3). This seems a lot more practical to me because it happens a lot or is implied on many gigs.

For a more stable change of perspective, you could try the "& of 1" thing in conjunction with a click on beat 3. This still gets you out of the Strauss box, but gives you a solid on the beat reference as well.

Howard K · #12 02-01-2006, 07:46 AM

This is some useful info here chaps... esp. the idea of setting two clicks to the bar and varying the time around it. I'd hinted at it myself by putting the click on 4 beats per bar and moving between 4/4 and 6/8. So, I'm going to work it into my daily routine.

Because I'm new to upright I find myself spending most of my practice time recently 'finding my way round' so I spend less time working on time

hdiddy · #13 02-01-2006, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

To be fair, the "& of 1" thing is damned hard, and not what I would consider to be a normal way of practicing in 3/4; it's more of a "change of perspective" kind of exercise.

I dunno. My teacher had me learning to play waltzes in 3 with this feel from the get-go. No metronome on 2 & or anything like that. Just on beat 1, and beats 2 and 3 are silent. Much harder but once it swings it's got a life of it's own. But the "1 &" thing killed the strauss feel and I never got into that rut.